Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Clutter Free in '15

I love organization.

I love simplicity.

I hate clutter.

When I saw Kathi Lipp's new book, Clutter Free, I could not wait to read it! I always love getting new tips and ideas for organizing and getting rid of clutter. While I *try* to remain clutter free and organized all the time, I am not perfect and there is always room for improvement. And through Kathi's book, I did find my area that needs major attention: books! But we will talk about my book issue later on.

Kathi says:

When my house is so messy and cluttered that I don't want to do the things I believe God has called me to (loving my family, working, preparing meals, spending time with Him), then there's a problem. On the other hand, when I'm spending so much of my time making sure my home is perfect that I don't have time for those things God has called me to, there's a problem as well.

There are two sides to clutter, hoarding and disorganization/organization. The first side is having clutter and not wanting to or knowing how to deal with it. Whether we realize it or not, clutter effects how we live. When your kitchen is cluttered, it makes it hard to want to cook dinner for your family. When the living room is cluttered, it makes it difficult to relax and laugh together. When the house is such a mess, it is uncomfortable to have guests over. Kathi points out in her book that when we have clutter, we often spend more money than we need to because we don't always know what we have already. There are so many negatives to having clutter.

The other side, the side I struggled with for a long time, is dealing with the house so much that you are not doing what God has called you to. For years I cleaned from sun up to sun down. When I was home, I was cleaning. I realized that I was missing out on so much and never able to relax because I was always worried about the house. My husband and I finally put a rule into place. After dinner, everyone helps with dinner clean up, then everyone relaxes. No work. If there is laundry to be done, it will have to wait until tomorrow. If the carpet needs vacuumed, it will have to wait until tomorrow. Evenings are for family in our home, not cleaning.

Right now, where I struggle is books. I love to read and I read every single day. While I love devotionals and inspirational books, I also really love Christian fiction. I much, much prefer a real book in my hands than an eReader. And while I love the library, the books I read take many months to come in at our local library. So, I buy books. Because I buy my books, I have way too many of them. My husband jokingly tells me that if we ever needed fire kindling, he is going for my books. He also tells me to read slower to make it worth it to spend the money. I have book shelves and cabinets in our family room that are full. I've passed a few on to friends and I've tried selling a few at garage sales. But it is really hard to part with a good book!

This year I want to be intentional about dealing with this. This means I have to either a) wait for the book at the library instead of buying it, b) buy the eReader version instead of paperback or c) give books away. All of those are hard for me, but all are better options than having hundreds of books I will likely never read again cluttering my home.

Is clutter effecting you? If you have it, it is. If you are on the other extreme end of cleaning all of the time, it is still effecting you. Kathi also tells us:

I want you to sit down and read your Bible to get spiritually fed without being distracted by all the piles screaming at you for attention the entire time.

I want you to play games with your kids without first having to tell them, "We'll do it after I clean the house.

I want you to be able to focus on what really matters instead of focusing on, well, what doesn't.

Whichever side you fall on, Clutter Freeis a must read. Kathi will inspire you, encourage you, and tell you like it is! Check out Clutter Freeand remember that enough is a beautiful thing!

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